


The Love You Fake

by STARSdidathing



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Loki (Marvel), Enemies to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Manipulation, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Avengers (2012), Secrets, Uneasy Allies, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 02:18:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15809307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/pseuds/STARSdidathing
Summary: Loki was not an ally of the Avengers and yet, Director Fury had gone to great lengths to contact Loki. The mage found himself curious enough to consent to a meeting with him.





	The Love You Fake

When the Director of SHIELD went through numerous dubious channels to get a message to Loki asking to meet, Loki could admit to being incredibly curious. There was no indication of a trap, no indication for anything other than a behind closed doors, secret, off the record meeting. 

Loki found himself too intrigued to let it pass by and while he was taking precautions, Loki still appeared at the suggested time and place, finding Nicholas Fury and Natasha Romanov present. Loki could also sense a few dozen agents hiding in the trees but, for all intents and purposes they had come as they had said; not to capture, but to negotiate.

They were still taking a large risk, they were well aware that Loki could very easily kill them. It was why he was certain there was some additional ace up their sleeve--Thor nearby, perhaps--but one way or another, they had requested him here to talk, and about what, Loki was interested to find out.

Looking between the two mortals, he stood with an air of relaxed ease, but he was still wary and waiting for an attack.

“Well,” he drawled, “do not keep me in suspense or I might find this request a waste of my precious time.”

He had barely finished when Fury remarked, “The Red Skull’s return has been causing you as much difficulty as it has us.”

Loki’s lips thinned; the former mortal’s time with Thanos had been far more pleasant than Loki’s. He’d happily made himself useful as a tool and had gained a small arsenal of technology through which to make his way back to Midgard and attempt to conquer it. He was currently attempting to sway Loki to join with him and making a pest of himself in the meantime. He was also annoyingly powerful and with an army Loki was not keen to place himself on opposing sides of; still, it did not mean he would admit it to _SHIELD_.

“And what of it?” Loki asked. “Do you intend to encourage me to fight for your side?” He raised his eyebrows. “I doubt you would be so, hmm, ‘ _cloak and dagger_ ’ if you sought that outcome.”

“You’re right,” Romanov chimed in. “We have no interest in publically allying with you. We also doubt we’d be able to dismantle his new HYDRA with you on our side.”

“Then what need do you have of me?”

“We know he’s been trying to get you as an ally,” Romanov explained. “We think it’s a good opportunity to attack from within.”

Loki blinked, more startled than he cared to admit. “You are attempting to encourage me to infiltrate his ranks and destroy him? What possible leverage could you have to assume you would succeed with this?”

 _What if they_... but no, Loki was certain they had no knowledge of it, if they did, this meeting would have been going far differently.

“This will be mutually beneficial and be a combined effort,” Fury explained. “We’d be willing to extend you some measure of exoneration and Thor is willing to gain something similar on Asgard.”

Oh, Loki doubted Odin would make any allowances for him if he agreed to the mortal’s suggestion, but Loki’s interests had alighted on something else in the director’s words. “‘By combined effort’,” he recited, “do you hope to have me _working_ with someone?”

Romanov tilted her chin. “I’ve switched sides before; people won’t be surprised if I do it again.” Her teeth drew over her lower lip in a deliberately coquettish gesture. “For the right reasons.”

Loki barked out a laugh, instantly understanding. “Oh, how _droll_. You think to present yourself as my mortal lover? And who was meant to be the seducer in such a partnership, _Romanov_?”

“You, obviously,” she answered simply, straightening and watching him with bland disinterest. “A manipulation to win an Avenger to your side; you seduce Black Widow, you use her own skills against her, you damage the Avengers and have a devoted pawn to use at your will.”

Loki narrowed his eyes, looking her up and down and making quick calculations. “You make the mistake of thinking that of all the mortal heroes I would seduce that I would pick _you_.”

“Who would you pick?” Fury instantly demanded, his eyes sharp with focus and awaiting the verdict, seeking to _change_ their plan perhaps.

It showed how much they truly feared the rise of Red Skull. Oh, how _desperate_ they were to come to him... but then, was that not always the case? The truly fraught only came to him knowing he would solve their problems with methods they could not utilise themselves.

Loki tapped his fingers against his leg, debating his answer and whether the deal was one worth participating in; it certainly seemed lucrative and useful in more ways than SHIELD even knew.

“I would pick the most pivotal of you all,” Loki remarked. “Why would I pick one of the most useless tools? You are, Romanov, but fodder.” Her eye twitched but she otherwise did not react. “Banner and his beast are far too wild to control. Barton has little to recommend him and the soldier is but an object to be pointed at a target, much like Thor; they are weapons with little versatility. No, if I were to expend my efforts on stealing _any_ of your comrades I would take the one who is the most valuable; I would take Stark.”

“Stark’s never done undercover work,” Romanov rebutted.

It made Loki _laugh_. It was a small, low sound and he almost shook his head at her naivety. “I do recall reading a report your little Hawk gave me; he successfully fooled those who held him in captivity; that is a feat not many can manage. No, little spider, of your entire group, he would be the only one to make me see _success_ in your proposition, as of now I see a useless endeavour of which I have no interest in participating.”

Loki shook his head and began to call on his magic but before he could disappear, Fury called, “And what if it was Stark?” Loki paused, helped in part by Romanov twitching in a way that barely held her surprise; were she less trained, she likely would have snapped her head to him in shock. Fury was staring at him and when Loki didn’t leave, he repeated, “What if it was Stark who took the mission with you?”

Loki was silent for a long moment, thinking over the situation, the options and what it must mean for the director to be so desperate to offer Stark without his permission or awareness. Still. He had to take care not to reveal _too_ much interest in their ploy.

“Well, it remains to be seen if he will agree.” He smirked at them. “I believe I have little to worry about returning to find him offering such an alliance.”

Loki didn’t wait for a response as he used magic to teleport himself away from where the meeting had been held. Yet, he was already chuckling by the time he arrived in his apartment and he immediately went to the kitchen where he could smell fresh coffee.

He found his lover waiting by the machine and slipped his arms around the smaller man’s waist, feeling the tension that had been in the other man’s muscles instantly release as he relaxed bodily against him. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” Tony hissed, turning to rest his cheek against Loki’s armour and breathing him in. “I was so worried that was a trap. Why the fuck did they even want to talk to you?”

Loki brushed a kiss to the top of Tony’s head, unable to contain his smile. “They offered me Romanov as a lover.”

Tony jerked against him and pulled back to look at him in shock and horror. “They _what?_ ”

Loki chuckled and unwound one arm to lightly cup Tony’s cheek and stroke it. “They sought to have me align with Red Skull. It was to become known that I seduced Romanov from the Avengers. We would then secretly combine our efforts to attack our mutual enemy from within in order to destroy his attempts at gaining power.”

Tony was grimacing and was still tense in his arms. “What did you say?”

Loki snorted. “I told them the only member of the Avengers I would deem worthy of seducing, stealing and working with was you.” Pulling the mortal close, he kissed Tony’s cheek. “Do attempt to be startled and appalled when they try to make you agree, my dear.”

Tony was frozen for a long moment before he let out a laugh; he also relaxed against Loki and wound his arms around the mage’s waist. “Is it bad to say I’m kind of grateful right now that Red Skull came back?”

Loki smiled. “As am I.” He brought his hand from Tony’s cheek down to rest against his lover’s back to lightly and soothingly stroke it. Tony was in Loki’s own shirt; green and oversized and sending a delightful, possessive thrill through him to see. “You wished for an opportunity to reveal your relationship with me without it being seen as treasonous. Now you can.”

The laugh Tony let out was disbelieving and he squeezed Loki tightly. “So we’re going to be fake dating while we actually date while we fake date to be able to admit we will date.” He snorted. “And we’ll be taking out an enemy too.” He sighed happily. “I don’t often like Fury’s decisions but yes, this? This is a good one.”

“I thought you would approve,” Loki remarked, kissing the top of sleep-ruffled brunet locks. He still let out a soft sigh of regret. “But, they will seek you soon. You cannot remain here.”

Tony let out a groan of displeasure and only seemed to burrow more into Loki’s arms, making the mage smile.

Tony didn’t often get time away from the Avengers, but when he did, he claimed a ‘ _vacation in Malibu_ ’ and Loki picked him up halfway there so that Tony could potter around the mage’s house without fear of someone registering Loki or his magic inside Tony’s home. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the best they’d been able to manage in the two years they’d been lovers.

Loki was even cutting back on his mischief and mayhem in an attempt to be seen as more approachable. It was all done in the hope of eventually being able to openly be with Tony without it damaging Tony’s relations with his team and the public.

This was, for the first time, a chance for them to move in that direction.

Tony had been in bed with Loki when the message from SHIELD had come through and he had been fretting since Loki had agreed to attend - but even their best thoughts and hopes had never been so high as this.

It was why Loki kissed Tony’s head again before insisting, “The sooner we are able to make this a reality, the sooner we will have the future we seek.”

Tony sighed again but he did pull back, he looked up at Loki with eyes that were filled with more hope and excitement than Loki had seen in months. It made it impossible for Loki to resist drawing the other man into a kiss with soft fingers cupping Tony’s chin. It didn’t last long, but when they pulled back, Loki smiled at him. “I will see you soon, my Tony.”

“I’ll hold you to that, babe,” Tony told him and Loki stole one more chaste kiss before using magic to send Tony to his workshop in his Malibu mansion.

He knew that SHIELD would seek Tony out soon and Loki wanted his lover to be ready. They couldn’t afford to have anyone become suspicious, nor could they afford to waste this chance to gain what they’d coveted for so long; an open relationship.

And if Loki was lucky, he might be able to make his deal with Thor and Asgard include, not a retraction of his sentence, but a favour; because if Loki used his words carefully and gained just the right deal, he would be able to ask for a golden apple for Tony, and then they would finally have their forever.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was a concept I'd come up with early last year. I just adored the idea of a fake-dating situation actually being real in order to _make_ it real with Loki and Tony secretly tricking and turning the tables on SHIELD/The Avengers to get what they want.
> 
> Also, if you were wondering about Red Skull. I needed a bad guy and he was the one I decided on for fun and because he's not mentioned a lot.
> 
>  _And_ while I know this could very easily be the start of a story (and I did at one point contemplate that) I have no plans to continue it. If anyone else wants to take this and run with it, feel free, but it's just remaining a oneshot from me :)
> 
> (Also, in case you were wondering I didn't use tags like "established relationship", "secret relationship", "fluff" or anything like that because I wanted to surprise you all, I hope it worked!)


End file.
